


The Barton-Barnes shelter of abandoned animals

by asamandra



Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Barton Farm, M/M, clint and his strays, winterhawk mini-bang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-28 02:21:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10066076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asamandra/pseuds/asamandra
Summary: For once it's not Clint who brings in another stray... and Clint is not amused when he finds out what kind of stray it is.





	

**Author's Note:**

> [Art](http://aw-hawkeye-no.tumblr.com/post/157946001933/the-barton-barnes-shelter-of-abandoned-animals-by) by [Aw-Hawkeye-no](http://aw-hawkeye-no.tumblr.com/)

Bucky opened the back door as quiet as possible. The house was dark, Clint quite possibly asleep, hopefully in the bedroom. Unfortunately he slept on the couch more often than not when Bucky was away. But the TV was quiet and the living room was dark, so he probably was upstairs in the bedroom. 

He held the tiny kitten, he had rescued on his way back home, hidden in his coat and sneaked to the fridge. He had to be quiet to not wake up Lucky. This damn dog was more attentive than anyone gave him credit for and he could hear someone opening the fridge from miles away. But just as he had opened the fridge door, the light went on behind him. 

“Hey,” someone slurred, and wrapped arms around him from behind. Bucky stiffened for a moment, but then he closed the fridge, smiled, and turned to look at his boyfriend, who stood behind him. Clint looked a little rumpled with his bed head and his pajamas. 

“Hey,” he whispered, and leaned over to kiss Clint, and a tiny smile appeared on his face. “Why are you awake?” 

“Heard your car,” Clint mumbled sleepily, and put his head on Bucky’s shoulder. Bur right that moment the cat in his coat decided to meow. Clint stilled for a moment, moved back, and looked at the meowing pocket, wide awake now. 

“What’s that?” He asked, and looked up, a tiny crease between his eyes. 

“Oh, that?” Bucky smiled, and reached into the pocket to free the small, black kitten. It sat shivering on his metal hand and meowed again. “Her mother and her siblings were killed but I could rescue her,” he smiled. The crease between Clint’s eyes deepened. 

“That’s a cat,” he said, and stepped back. 

“Yes, Captain Obvious,” Bucky put his flesh hand over the tiny creature to keep her warm. She meowed again. 

“But we agreed we don’t want cats,” Clint said, and a small pout appeared on his lips.

“No, _you_ said you don’t like cats and I… well… I said nothing,” Bucky corrected him. 

“But… it’s a cat!” Clint almost whined now. 

“Look, she’s hungry. Let’s feed her and then we can talk, okay?” Bucky tried to open the fridge door again, but Clint placed his hand on the door and stopped him from opening it. 

“What are you up to?” He asked, and once more the crease between his eyes appeared. 

“Give her some milk,” Bucky said, but it sounded more like a question. Clint took a deep breath, opened the fridge and pointed at the bottle inside. 

“This one?” He asked then. 

“Uhm… yes?” This time it definitely sounded like a question. The kitten meowed and tried to move again. “Come on, just… let me get some food in her and…” 

“Babe, you can’t give a kitten cow milk! That’s… bad for her,” Clint explained. “Okay,” he huffed then, and looked around. “Right. You find a box, not too big… put in a towel.” Bucky nodded and wanted to leave. “And take this critter with you!” 

Bucky grinned, took the cat and went to find a box. They had a few in the basement, and he took one of them, went to the bathroom to get a towel and with all the items and the kitten he went back to the kitchen. Clint had prepared a glass with water, and the pipette he had used to feed Rufus, the kangaroo-baby he had raised three years ago. 

“Yeah, that’s good,” he nodded as soon as he saw the items. “You can put her in and give her some water when it’s cooled down. I boiled it to kill the germs. It will fill her stomach a little and she won’t get belly aches.” 

“But…” Bucky started, but Clint shook his head. 

“I know, but while you give her the water, I’ll go to the stable to get some goat milk,” he said, and put on a shirt. Bucky looked up, looked at Clint, who just went to get his gumboots.

“Thank you,” he said. Clint nodded, once, sharp, and Bucky smiled. 

When Clint was gone, he put the kitten in the box, took the water, the pipette and the box and brought them to the living room. He sat down, and carefully fed the kitten a bit of water. It still meowed and struggled, but Bucky held it and stroked her soft black fur. 

It didn’t take too long till Clint was back, a milk can in his hand. He grinned and put it on the counter in the kitchen. Bucky looked over the backrest of the couch, saw the pieces of goat shit on the floor and sighed. Clint forgot to remove his gumboots again. But he had fetched milk for _his_ cat and so Bucky would clean the floor later.

“It’s still warm,” Clint smirked, when he filled some milk in a glass. Bucky went to him and took it before he could spread the shit in the living room as well. 

“Thanks, babe,” he whispered, and leaned over to kiss his cheek. But before he went back to the living room, he pointed at Clint’s gumboots. Clint blushed, grinned sheepishly and went back out. Bucky took the milk and sat down on the couch in the living room once again. The kitten, who sat in the box, meowed repeatedly and scratched at the towel. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, girly, daddy’s here already,” he murmured, took the small animal, and started to feed her the milk with the pipette. He smiled the whole time because it was way too cute when she tread with her tiny feet. 

“Okay,” Clint said and flopped down in the armchair opposite of him. “I will admit, this is one of the cutest things I’ve seen this month. But… a cat, Buck? Seriously?” 

“Yes, a cat. I like her,” Bucky said matter-of-factly. But when he heard Clint huff again, he looked up. “Listen. You bring home all kinds of stray animals every other day. Did I ever complain?” He put the pipette back onto the table and started to pet the kitten. “Did I complain when you ran around for god knows how long with a pouch around your neck while you raised Rufus? Did I complain about the… the goats and the horses and the donkey and the parrots and the tortoise? Did I complain when you brought Archie?” 

“Well… actually… you did complain when I brought Archie,” Clint shrugged, and leaned back. 

“Yeah! Because he’s a fucking Komodo dragon!” Bucky snapped now. But he closed his mouth immediately when the kitten meowed again. 

“You said you like Archie,” Clint muttered. Now Bucky huffed.

“Of course I like Archie. It’s just…” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “For one time _I_ am the one who finds a stray and you will accept her.” 

“But…” Clint started again. 

“If she has to go, Archie has to go.” Bucky petted the kitten, now sleeping on his stomach. 

“Fine,” Clint muttered under his breath. He glared at the kitten, and rose from the couch. “I’ll go to bed now. Will you come, too?” 

“Yes, in a few minutes. I’ll just…” he waved at the kitchen vaguely. Clint pouted, and Bucky rolled his eyes. “Okay, let’s go.” They could clean it tomorrow.

Bucky took the box with the kitten, and - despite Clint’s annoyed glances - carried it to their bedroom. Lucky slept on the carpet in front of Clint’s side of the bed, but he raised his head and looked at them when they went to the bed. Bucky placed the box beside him and petted the kitten again. Clint just went to his side of the bed, when Lucky rose, walked around the bed and sniffed at the box. 

“What’s he doing?” Clint frowned at his dog. He never left his space beside Clint’s bed. Bucky took the box and showed it to Lucky, and the dog woofed once.

“Shh, Lucky,” Bucky said and petted the dog’s head. He didn’t want him to startle the cat. But then Lucky moved, and Bucky stiffened for a moment. Lucky sniffed the kitten, looked at Clint, and then licked the tiny cat. The kitten meowed, and very gently, very carefully the dog licked her. “Oh my god, I guess he likes her,” Bucky beamed at Clint, who scowled at the dog now. 

“Traitor,” he muttered, removed his shirt and climbed in his bed. 

“Come on, babe, don’t be like this,” Bucky said. He lay down on the bed, still fully clothed, and wrapped an arm around Clint’s shoulders. 

“It’s just… I don’t like cats,” Clint muttered again. “They are…” He waved his hand around vaguely, searching for a word he never found. 

“You don’t have to interact with her,” Bucky interrupted him. “I’ll feed her, I clean her litter… just… pretend she’s not here, okay?” 

“Okay,” Clint finally huffed, and turned to look at Lucky and the kitten. Bucky had placed the box beside the bed and the dog had wrapped himself around it. “Guess he really likes her, huh?” 

“Yeah,” Bucky nodded. For a brief moment he thought about getting up to undress, but in the end he just removed his shoes and his pants and stayed where he was. Clint chuckled when he yawned and lifted the cover to put it over Bucky, too. “Do you think she’s okay in the box?” 

Clint pursed his lips for a second, but then he nodded. “Yeah, I think so. She’s got a _tough_ protector,” - Bucky couldn’t hold back the snort - “and you’re tired. Sleep. She’ll be okay,” Clint said. And then he shrugged, and added, “She’s a cat.” 

Bucky hummed affirmative, and moved to lie on his right side. In this position he could see the cat and Lucky. A few moments later Clint wrapped his arms around his middle and kissed his neck. “I’m glad you’re back. Missed you.” 

“I missed you, too, babe,” Bucky murmured before he eventually drifted off to sleep.

***

When Bucky woke up he found the bed beside himself empty and cold. He yawned, and then he remembered the kitten. He looked over the rim of the bed, and his blood ran cold. The box lay on the side, the towel on the ground, both, the dog and the kitten, were gone.

“Oh fuck!” He cursed and was out of his bed in an instant. “Clint!” He called. Maybe the kitten ran away… or worse? The dog was nowhere to be seen as well. 

“Clint!” He called again.

“Kitchen,” he heard his boyfriend’s voice, when he ran down the stairs. He came to a halt skidding… and stared open-mouthed at the scenery. Clint sat on a chair, the sleeping kitten on his stomach, a glass with milk and the pipette beside him on the table, and Lucky sat in front of him, and watched him carefully. 

“Oh my god! I… I thought…” he said, but Clint shushed him.

“She fell asleep only a minute ago,” he whispered. Bucky padded into the kitchen, sat down on another chair and stared at his boyfriend.

“What… I don’t… I thought you don’t like cats?” He asked, his brows furrowed.

“Yeah, well… the critter started to meow and to thrash and she would’ve woken you,” Clint whispered. “So I fed her.” 

“You… I thought you don’t like her?” Bucky blurted. 

“But I like you, asshat, and you needed your sleep,” he smirked. “And since you and my dog have already adopted her, I guess, I have to at least accept her.” 

Bucky smiled, rose and kissed Clint’s cheek. “You’re amazing, babe. I love you.” 

“And if she’s too annoying we can still feed her to Archie,” Clint grinned. 

“Cliiint!” 

“Love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> [asamandra on tumblr](http://asamandra.tumblr.com/)


End file.
